Just Say It
by ellenong
Summary: "Korra, you're the only one for me. Just say it, say that you love me too. It will be as simple as that." He made it sound as if it was a do or die question. But it wasn't as simple as that. Pairing: Mako/Korra (OOC)


**Just Say It**

"You're beautiful Korra." Mako says, reaching forward to tuck a stray piece of hair that had escaped its tie, behind her ear.

The room was silent, except the sounds from the television. He was staring at her so intensely it was making her uncomfortable. Shifting uncomfortably, she does her best to lighten the room. Laughing it off, she jokes and punches his shoulder. "Thanks but no, Asami's beautiful."

He turns towards her, faces just inches apart. His hot, sticky breath clinging onto her flushed flesh, the scent of musk filling their noses as they inhaled. They stayed unmoving, staring at each other, breaths uneven and hitched, bodies barely grazing.

"I love you Korra." The words poured from his mouth like liquid gold. He made those 4 words sound so normal, like he had said it countless times before.

But she wasn't expecting it. He was meant to love Asami, the gorgeous, beautiful, rich and perfect girl that he was dating. "Mako, you love Asami."

"No, Korra. I don't." His voice was sharp and cutting. It was as if he was serious, there was no way he could. It was ridiculous.

"What are you talking about Mako?" Her voice trembled and her lips quivered as she waited anxiously. She was so overwhelmed. A day ago, he was dating her best friend and now he was telling her that she was the one he loved?

To her, it sounded messed up. How could that be? It was just absurd.

"What I'm trying to say is. I've loved you before I started dating Asami. I just thought that if I focused on her, I would forget about you." He answered the question so surely, as if he had been planning out what he was going to say for days. "But I know now why I couldn't. It was because I love you, I always have ever since that day we met."

"Mako, you're freaking me out. You love Asami, not me. I am not her, I'm Korra."

"I know who you are Korra. And I know that I love you, not Asami."

"I'm sorry but I don't love you like you want me to."

Truth was, she hadn't stopped loving him since she first met him. She kept pushing that thought away, scolding herself, saying it was a ridiculous idea. She kept denying it, allowing herself to become void of any emotions but she could never forget the way her heart skipped a little every time he was around. Soon enough, that feeling was gone too, just like the others.

But that didn't mean she would stop loving him. She would for the rest of her life, and forever more.

"I know you love me more than a friend Korra. I know the way you look at me. I know because that's the way I look at you."

"No Mako, that's where you're wrong." She speculated, distracting herself as she slowly put distance between their bodies.

"Why don't you just stop denying it? Why don't you just listen to your heart for once and stop putting up walls around yourself? Why don't you just admit to yourself that you have feelings for me?" Something inside of him snapped. His voice sounded horrible, dreaded.

"Because I can't! You're with Asami. You chose her remember? I was always the one on the sideline and I can't stand by and wait for you to come around. I can't wait a lifetime for you to realise that I have been the one that loved you all this time. That's an eternity too long and eventually I moved on." She choked out. Close to tears, she looked away, out the window. To anywhere she could escape.

"I was only with Asami because I thought you deserved someone special, someone that wasn't just anybody. I wanted better for you Korra. That's what you deserve." His voice was sincere, regret tinted on the edge of his tongue.

"Well you've made your decision. You can't back out of it now." Her mind swirled and danced around as she preoccupied herself with the outside world, desperate to avoid Mako or to pay any attention at him at all.

"I have but I am backing out of it. Korra, you're the only one for me. Just say it, say that you love me too. It will be as simple as that." He made it sound as if it was a do or die question. But it wasn't as simple as that.

So instead, she removes her eyes from the rain falling mercilessly outside, to him, a blank expression covering her face. Her chest heaving and falling to the rhythm of her heart beat.

"I can't." She says shakily, her eyes still avoiding his.

"I'm sorry Korra, for not realising sooner. Maybe then, you could've loved me back." He got up to leave, but her body was preventing herself from chasing after him and crashing her lips down on his, releasing all the bottled up feelings she kept for him.

"Mako, you don't have to go."

"Yes I do, Korra."

"Mako, please don't go."

"Then just say it."

"Mako, I can't- I don't-" She waved her hands up in the air frantically, then dropping them back by her sides in defeat. She hung her head low. Her breathing was rough and coarse.

He sighed and placed the small of his hand on her shoulder. "I know you do. Just say it and I'll stay."

"I can't." She tried to reason, to find any excuses to say those 3 words.

"Just say it Korra, that's all I need to hear." His voice was begging, pleading for her to say those comforting 3 words that he knew she would mean. But the walls she put up around her heart disappointed him.

"Please Mako. Don't do this."

"I'm sorry Korra. Goodbye." His voice burned with regret and she was overwhelmed with emotions.

Tears welled up in her eyes as his figure disappeared out of the doorway. All that was left was the echoing of the lonely night, the silence of the neighbourhood, the emptiness of the house. The only sounds around were the howls of the frosty night winds, the whispers of the rattled leaves and the small drops of the rain falling.

She was alone.

Caught up in the moment, she followed him into the dark road, only making out his sad, hunching figure under the moonlight.

"Mako!" She tried to call but only sobs and chokes came out. She was about to give up, fall to the ground sobbing, knowing she had lost her best friend. But not only that - her lover.

Devastated as she was, she willed herself to get off the ground and run. And that's what her legs did.

She ran. She didn't run to get away from anything or to escape. She simply ran to chase something. She ran to follow someone she loved, someone she would not allow herself to lose.

She came to a stop in front of him, her lungs bursting from the lack of oxygen, her legs aching from the sprint, her mind racing.

"You're right." She spoke uncertainly as rain began to fall down on her face. Between the flickers of rain falling on her eyelashes, she could see him turning around to face her. Summoning up all the courage she could muster, she let her guard down. She knocked down all the walls she built around her heart and she finally gave.

Because deep down, she knew it was going to be okay.

"I love you." She panted, the words rolling desperately off her tongue.

Without a second thought, she crashed her lips down on his. Emotions came flooding back to her like tidal waves during a tsunami. Like the hurricane rummaging through the deserted streets that were once filled with life leaving it scattered and torn.

Surprised by her sudden actions, he was taken back. Despite being initially shocked, he gave in because that was all he wanted - to hear those 3 words.

Regardless of all the other feelings she was torn by, she was overjoyed, not only had she gotten back her best friend of 13 years, she had gotten a lover in return. And all she had to do it was _just say it_.

* * *

_A/N: Just thought I'd try to write another one-shot in my free-time. I hope you all enjoyed that and if you did, all you have to do is drop a review below!_


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